WELL FED

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Best Christmas Present Ever

So Giulia gave me the best Christmas present I have ever gotten:
An empty pail with a lid
An empty bottle of wine
A bag of whole wheat flour
A packet of yeast
and
A bag of semolina
with
A notecard with her father's bread recipe!!!
I have always wanted to know how she made her fabulous bread but was always too nervous to ask-- it is a very special family recipe and I was so happy when she gave me the gift of bread.
The whole process takes 24 hours and I baked my first batch this morning. It was not perfect. A little (or a lot) denser than Giulia's and perhaps not salty enough. The thing that is special about the recipe is that it includes instructions like, "1 mostly full bottle of wine full of water" or "a handful of salt." It is definitely something I will have to get the hang of. This is the first batch of many to come....

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Grand Finale Pictures...More to come

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Grand Finale of the Semester 11.21.09

Yesterday Giulia and I finalized the menu for the last dinner of the semester:

Garden Salad*

Pork loin with Persimmon Chutney

Kale*

Herbed Potatoes

Trio of citrus sorbet

Ruby Grapefruit, Lemon*, Satsuma

Earl Gray Cookies

*From the garden

Monday, November 16, 2009

Menu 11. 15. 09

Saturday night Well Fed catered a wine tasting hosted by Res Life in Thorne hall. The menu consisted of...

Giulia's homemade crostini
Navy bean and caramelized fennel dip
Roasted red and yellow peppers with garlic and basil
Golden beet, goat cheese and mint spread
Cheese platter
Seasonal fruit platter
Roasted grapes with sea salt and rosemary
Lemon-cornmeal cake
Apple galette
Strawberry tarte

Pictures to come soon!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Some photos from Week 4

Tarte Tatin with whipped cream

Tarte Tatin is classic French tart that got its name when two sisters (Caroline and Stephanie Tatin) were working in their restaurant toward the end of the 19th century. The restaurant is still there today (in the Loir). At the time it was known as a restaurant frequented by hungry hunters and one evening while they were waiting for the hunters to come in for dinner, Stephanie burned the apple tart. Instead of throwing it out she turned it upside down and cooked it some more. The apples became completely caramelized and it was (and still is) a big hit!

Giulia with roasted beets and carrots

Harvesting lettuce from the garden an hour before dinner was served!

One of the butternut squash we served the other night .

Friday, November 6, 2009

Week 4 Menu

Professor Peterson in the CTSJ department rocked the menu art for this weekend!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Menu, Week 3

Props to Ava!

About Us

Being well-fed is about more than having a full stomach. It is about being comfortable, satisfied, happy, and most importantly coming together to enjoy each others company. Join us every other Saturday night for a delicious meal—highlights will include Giulia’s homemade breads, vegetables from Oxy’s very own organic vegetable garden and student musicians. Our goal is to share the bounty of the earth with Oxy students and faculty which means a focus on seasonal vegetables. This week we're looking at fresh corn, butternut squash, more patty-pan and radishes-- all from the garden! Our menus are vegetarian friendly (although there will be meat and fish on the menu from time to time). Email oxywellfed@gmail.com to find out more information.

About the Cooks:

Emily Ritchie

Emily has always loved eating great food, but at the end of high school she first got into cooking through bread baking. She then was abroad in the south of France spring 2010 where she interned at an artisinal chocolate shop and learned about many traditional dishes from her host family. Before returning home from France, she won a Richter Grant to study Etivaz cheese in Switzerland, getting the chance to see how the cheese is made. She loves experimenting with food and learning about new dishes. Food is her creative outlet and you can find her in the Berkus kitchen almost every night this year.

Alumni of Well Fed:

Elissa Chandler

Elissa has always loved food, cooking and agriculture but the affair really kicked into high gear after returning from a semester in Paris where she interned with a three-star French chef in his cooking studio. While she was working mostly on publicity and translation she got a first-hand glimpse of a culture that takes food and seasonality very seriously. Upon her return she opened Café Norris with Junior Saul Sutcher, worked in a produce delivery CSA through Auntie Em’s and started the on-campus vegetable garden (F.E.A.S.T.). She hopes that Well Fed will add joy and comfort to the Oxy community.

Giulia Pasciuto

Giulia grew up in a family where eating was not just about consuming to sustain, but about coming around a table to enjoy the company of food, friends, and good wine. Her father is a baker, philosopher, chef, wine-maker, and engineer (among other things) who came to America at the age of 26 with no job or money and opened a successful bakery (only because he couldn't find any decent bread in the whole country) focused around the idea of feeding people well, not only with good food, but with companionship and conversation. This summer, Giulia has been cooking up a storm with the same intentions as her father, working in the F.E.A.S.T. student garden, and trying to figure out her life.